Dementia pledge from organisations

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Chad Reporter

The four organisations providing home care services on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council have signed up to the Dementia Friends initiative which aims to improve awareness and understanding of the disease.

Sterling (City and County Healthcare) covering Newark and Bassetlaw, Agincare covering Rushcliffe and Gedling, Direct Health covering Broxtowe and Care UK covering Mansfield and Ashfield have pledged their support of the scheme.

It is the brainchild of Public Health England and the Alzheimer’s Society and aims to register one million Dementia Friends across the UK by 2015 to help people living with the disease to live more fulfilled lives.

Speaking during Dementia Awareness Week this week, Coun Muriel Weisz, chair of the county council’s adult social care and health committee, said: “I am delighted that our new home care providers have pledged to become Dementia Friends.

“It demonstrates their commitment to helping those who suffer from the disease to live as full and active lives as possible.

“Their staff work with local people with dementia on our behalf so they can live at home and reduce the impact of the condition on family carers who they may have.”

Dementia is one of the biggest health issues facing the country, and there are an estimated 10,945 people in Nottinghamshire with the disease, while one in three people who live over the age of 65 will develop dementia.

Anyone can register as a Dementia Friend, either by attending a 45 minute information session or by watching and interacting with an online video at www.dementiafriends.org.uk.